Is it permissible to take on mountain biking as a sport?

Question Summary

Is it permissible to take on mountain biking as a sport?

Question Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Yes. It is permissible to do mountain biking as a sport. That is, if there is no high likelihood of you or others being harmed, in such a case, one should either refrain or take all precautions possible.

Having Good Intentions

Having a pastime, a hobby, or sport can be greatly beneficial for many reasons. There may be a social component that brings people together. There may be great physical benefits to one’s overall health. There may be an opportunity to clear one’s mind, allowing them to focus more on their worships and other responsibilities.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “All actions are based on their intentions.” [Bukhari]

Pause for a moment, and before engaging in biking, make sure to bring to heart all of the righteous intentions related to biking (some examples above). This makes your biking an act of worship, and you will receive a complete good deed according to each intention. [Haddad, The Book of Assistance]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and some texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.